Solid bullet, intermediate product for manufacturing a solid bullet, and method for producing a solid bullet

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a solid projectile for ammunition in particular with a caliber of less than 13 mm, wherein the solid projectile is made of iron, in particular soft iron, with a carbon content of more than 0.05%.

The present invention relates to a solid projectile for ammunition inparticular with a caliber of less than 13 mm. Furthermore, the presentinvention relates to an intermediate for producing such a solidprojectile. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method forproducing such a solid projectile.

For environmental and health reasons, in particular on practice shootingranges, the use of lead as material for solid projectiles is more andmore unsuitable. In the choice of material for solid projectiles, thereis therefore a conflict of interests in particular between goodprecision as well as flight range and environmental compatibility.Alternative materials to lead, such as tin, zinc, copper, have proved tobe less suitable due to their low density, which would ensure betterenvironmental compatibility, but would entail with significant losses interms of precision and flight range. Furthermore, alternative solutionsas steel or brass solid projectiles have decisive disadvantages in termsof barrel life and press-through resistance through the firearm barrel.This results in unfavorable interior ballistics. The pressure duringpowder burn-off is too high, while the resulting muzzle velocity is toolow.

From U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,581 a solid projectile made of soft iron isknown. The solid projectile comprises an ogive-like projectile front, anadjoining slightly conical driving band, which makes up about ⅓ to ¼ ofthe projectile length, and a conical projectile tail. The ballistics, inparticular precision and flight range, of the projectile according toU.S. Pat. No. 4,109,581 have proven to be disadvantageous. Furthermore,the elongated driving band has a disadvantageous effect on the interiorballistics of the projectile.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages ofthe prior art, in particular to provide a solid projectile that iscompatible with the environment and health and has improved ballistics,in particular precision.

The object is solved by the subject matter of claims 1, 8, 12, 14, 17,18, 19, 21 and 22.

According to this, a solid projectile for ammunition in particular witha caliber of less than 13 mm is provided. The caliber is generallyreferred to as measure of the outer diameter of projectiles or bulletsand the inner diameter of a firearm barrel. For example, solidprojectiles according to the invention can also be used for ammunitionwith a caliber of less than 7 mm or at most 5.6 mm. In contrast to fulljacket projectiles, which normally comprise a projectile jacket made ofa deformable material, such as tombac, and a projectile core arrangedtherein, in particular pressed therein, which is manufactured separatelyfrom the projectile jacket, solid projectiles do not comprise a separateprojectile jacket. In particular the solid projectile is made in onepiece.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the solid projectile ismade of iron, in particular soft iron, with a carbon content of morethan 0.05%. It has been found that by increasing the carbon content thehardness and tensile strength of the solid projectile increase, whichhas a positive effect on the projectile ballistics. By means of thesolid projectile according to the invention an environmentallycompatible solid projectile is created that has improved ballistics.Furthermore, it has been found, that the carbon content according to theinvention has a corrosion protecting effect on the solid projectile. Inaddition, the increased carbon content also helps to limit diffusionbetween the firearm barrel and the solid projectile when the solidprojectile is fired by a firearm.

According to an example embodiment, the carbon content is in the rangeof 0.06% to 1.14%, in particular in the range of 0.08% to 0.12%. Suchcarbon ranges have proved particularly advantageous in terms ofballistics. In particular it has been found, that with carbon contentsthat are too high, the brittleness of the solid projectile body isincreased too much, which has a disadvantageous effect on themanufacturing and formability of the solid projectile.

In an example embodiment, the solid projectile according to theinvention is made of a material that, in addition to iron, comprises atleast one further transition metal, for example selected from the groupcomprising manganese and copper, in particular with a mass portion of0.01% to 1.2% or of 0.3% to 1%.

In a further example embodiment of the present invention, the materialof the solid projectile can comprise at least one further additiveselected from the carbon group, the nitrogen group and/or the oxygengroup. For example, the at least one additive can be a metalloid. Forexample, the at least one additive can have a weight percentage of atleast 0.01% to at most 0.48%.

In a further example embodiment, the iron of the solid projectile has amanganese content of 0.01% to 0.8%, in particular of 0.03% to 0.6%.

According to an example further development, the iron has a siliconcontent of less than 0.5%, in particular less than 0.4% or less than0.3%.

In a further example embodiment, the iron has a phosphorus content inthe range from 0.01% to 0.04%, in particular in the range from 0.02% to0.03%.

Furthermore, it may be provided that the iron has a sulfur content inthe range from 0.01% to 0.04%, in particular in the range from 0.02% to0.03%.

In another example embodiment, the iron has a copper content of lessthan 0.4%, in particular less than 0.3% or less than 0.25%.

For example, the solid projectile can be made of a Saarstahl C10C.

In an example further development, the solid projectile according to theinvention does not contain lead.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, that can becombined with the previous aspects and example embodiments, a solidprojectile for ammunition in particular with a caliber of less than 13mm is provided. The solid projectile is made of iron. In particular thesolid projectile is made in one piece and/or is lead free.

Furthermore, the solid projectile comprises a particularly ogive-likeprojectile nose, an at least sectionally cylindrical driving bandadjoining thereto for guiding the solid projectile in a firearm barreland a projectile tail adjoining to the driving band. When in the presentdescription reference is made to nose, front, nose-sided or front-sided,or tail, tail-sided or rear-sided, this is to be understood withreference to a longitudinal axis of the projectile pointing in flightdirection of the projectile. For example, the driving band can bedesigned in such a way that it engages in a land-groove profile of afirearm barrel, which serves in particular to give the solid projectilea spin as it slides within the firearm barrel, to stabilize thetrajectory of the projectile.

According to this aspect of the present invention, the projectile tailcomprises a bottom, which is in particular facing a power transmissionpart, such as a firing pin, of the firearm, and a projectile base thatopens into the bottom. The projectile base tapers at least sectionallyconcavely in the direction of the bottom. This means that the projectilebase does not need to extend completely concavely, in particular doesnot need to taper concavely completely from the driving band to theprojectile bottom. In an alternative embodiment, the projectile basetapers concavely completely from the driving band to the projectilebottom. In another example embodiment, on the rear-side of the drivingband and a front-side of the concave section of the projectile base,adjoins a substantially cylindrical projectile base section, which has asmaller outer diameter compared to the guiding band. According to thepresent invention it has been found that due to the lower density of theiron material compared to standardly used lead materials, there is amass loss, which can however be compensated in terms of ballisticsand/or precision by the constructive design of the projectile tailaccording to the present invention. By providing a projectile base,additional mass is added to the solid projectile, wherein the concavityhas a positive effect on the ballistics of the solid projectile, inparticular stabilizes the solid projectile during flight, but withoutincreasing the press-through resistance of the solid projectile within afirearm barrel.

According to an example further development of the solid projectile, aradius of curvature defining an outer contour of the projectile base isin the range of 0.1 times to 0.5 times a maximum projectile outerdiameter. For example, the radius of curvature is about 0.2 times themaximum outer diameter of the projectile. The maximum outer diameter ofthe projectile is in the region of the driving band.

According to an example further development of the solid projectile, theat least sectionally concave projectile base extends in longitudinaldirection of the solid projectile by 0.2 times to 0.6 times a maximumprojectile outer diameter, in particular 0.4 times a maximum projectileouter diameter, which for example can be in the region of the drivingband. The said length of the projectile base has been identified asadvantageous in terms of providing additional mass as well as creatingan aerodynamic projectile structure, whose press-through resistancewithin the firearm barrel is positively influenced.

In another example embodiment of the solid projectile, the bottomcomprises an outer diameter in the range of 0.6 times to 0.9 times amaximum projectile outer diameter. In particular, the outer diameter isabout 0.8 times the maximum outer diameter of the projectile. Forexample, the concave section of the projectile base opens directly intothe projectile bottom, which is arranged concentrically with respect tothe longitudinal axis of the projectile. For example, the bottom has arear-sided end face, which is oriented substantially perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the projectile.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, that can becombined with the previous aspects and example embodiments, a solidprojectile for ammunition in particular with a caliber of less than 13mm is provided. The solid projectile is made of iron and/or is leadfree.

Furthermore, the solid projectile comprises a particularly ogive-likeprojectile nose, an at least sectionally cylindrical driving bandadjoining thereto for guiding the solid projectile in a firearm barreland a projectile tail adjoining to the driving band. For example, thedriving band can be designed in such a way that it engages in aland-groove profile of a firearm barrel, which serves in particular togive the solid projectile a spin as it slides within the firearm barrel,to stabilize the trajectory of the projectile.

According to this aspect of the present invention, a transition from theprojectile tail into the driving band is formed by an outer contourprojection, at which an outer diameter of the solid projectile increasescontinuously or abruptly. According to the invention it has been foundthat by providing the outer contour projection (viewed from theprojectile tail) or an outer contour recess (viewed from the projectilenose), the phenomenon of the so-called breathing of the firearm barrelis guaranteed. Due to the outer contour projection, when pressure buildsup during firing, a particularly radial widening of the firearm barrelcan be realized when pressure builds up during the firing process,resulting in gentle sliding of the solid projectile within the firearmbarrel. It was found that the gas produced as a result of a combustionprocess inside the firearm barrel is pressed, during a firing process,into an angular annular space region formed on the outside by thefirearm barrel inner surface and on the inside by the tail-side outercontour projection from the projectile tail into the driving band. As aresult, the firearm barrel expands slightly elastically at least inradial direction, so that the press-through resistance within thefirearm barrel can be reduced. This also reduces the abrasion betweenthe outer surface of the solid projectile and the inner surface of thefirearm barrel and thus reduces the wear. Transverse to the longitudinalaxis of the projectile, i.e. in radial direction, it is preferred thatthe outer contour projection is less than 0.2 mm deep. The outer contourprojection can, for example, run straight or be concavely curved.Furthermore, the outer contour projection can ensure that the solidprojectile is movable in a transition fit in the land profile. Oneadvantage of the transition fit is the reduction of the press-throughresistance. By means of the transition fit, additionally the gas slipcan be adjusted, which, depending on the type of the solid projectile,is an important influencing factor in terms of its precision. Inaddition, the transition fit can delay in time the process of theinitial press-in operation in such a way that when the firearm is fired,the impact, so-called initial impact, on the solid projectile and thefirearm barrel (short-term dynamics) can be reduced. The reduction ofthe initial impact positively influences the service life of the firearmbarrel and the precision of the solid projectile.

According to an example further development of the solid projectileaccording to the present invention, the outer contour projection has aninclination angle with respect to a projectile longitudinal axisoriented in longitudinal direction of the solid projectile in the rangefrom 10° to 90°, in particular in the range from 20° to 80°, 30° to 70°or in the range from 40° to 80°.

Furthermore, the solid projectile comprises a particularly ogive-likeprojectile nose and an at least sectionally cylindrical driving bandadjoining thereto for guiding the solid projectile in a firearm barrel.For example, the driving band can be designed in such a way that itengages in a land-groove profile of a firearm barrel, which serves inparticular to give the solid projectile a spin as it slides within thefirearm barrel, to stabilize the trajectory of the projectile.

According to this further aspect of the present invention, a transitionfrom the driving band into the projectile nose is formed by an outercontour recess, at which an outer diameter of the solid projectiledecreases continuously or abruptly. According to the invention it wasfound that providing the outer contour recess results in a gentlesliding of the solid projectile within the firearm barrel. Consequently,the abrasion between the outer surface of the solid projectile and theinner surface of the firearm barrel can be reduced. The outer contourrecess can, for example, run straight or be concavely curved.Furthermore, the outer contour recess can ensure that the solidprojectile is movable in a transition fit in the land profile. By meansof the transition fit, additionally the gas slip can be adjusted, which,depending on the type of the solid projectile, is an importantinfluencing factor in terms of its precision. In addition, thetransition fit can delay in time the process of the initial press-inoperation in such a way that when the firearm is fired, the impact,so-called initial impact, on the solid projectile and the firearm barrel(short-term dynamics) can be reduced. The reduction of the initialimpact positively influences the service life of the firearm barrel andthe precision of the solid projectile.

According to an example further development of the solid projectileaccording to the invention, the outer contour projection from theprojectile tail into the driving band and/or the outer contour recessfrom the driving band into the projectile nose has a radial depth,dimensioned transversely to the projectile longitudinal axis, of lessthan 0.5 mm, in particular less than 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm or 0.2 mm. By meansof the radial projection of the driving band relative to the projectiletail and/or the projectile nose, it can be ensured that essentially onlythe driving band engages in the groove profile of the firearm barrel orslides along it during a firing process. In this respect, the abrasionbetween the firearm barrel and the outer surface of the solid projectilecan be reduced.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, that can becombined with the previous aspects and example embodiments, a solidprojectile for ammunition in particular with a caliber of less than 13mm is provided. The solid projectile is made of iron and/or is leadfree.

The solid projectile comprises an at least sectionally cylindricaldriving band for guiding the solid projectile in a firearm barrel, inparticular for engaging in grooves of a land-groove profile of a firearmbarrel. The land-groove profile serves in particular to give the solidprojectile a spin as it slides within the firearm barrel, to stabilizethe trajectory of the projectile.

According to the further aspect of the present invention, the at leastsectionally cylindrical driving band has an axial length, dimensioned inlongitudinal direction of the solid projectile, in the range of 10 timesto 100 times a land-groove profile difference of a firearm barrel. Theinventors of the present invention have found that a length of thecylindrical driving band that is too great, is less suitable to be usedfor iron solid projectiles. For example, it can be provided that anaxial section of the driving band, which deviates from a cylindricalshape before the driving band forms the cylindrical driving bandsection, adjoins the particularly ogive-like projectile nose. Forexample, the cylindrical driving band section can be dimensioned in sucha way that a contact circumferential ring line is formed between thedriving band and the inner surface of the firearm barrel.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, that can becombined with the previous aspects and example embodiments, a solidprojectile for ammunition in particular with a caliber of less than 13mm is provided. The solid projectile is made of iron and/or is leadfree.

The solid projectile comprises a particularly ogive-like projectilenose, having a substantially planar end face oriented in the directionof the projectile longitudinal axis. The planar end face can, forexample, be produced by cutting to length. For example, the planar endface has a diameter that is at least 10%, in particular 15%, at least20% or at least 25%, of a diameter of the projectile bottom. On the onehand, it has been found that the planar nose-sided end face has apositive effect on the external ballistics of the solid projectile, inparticular that the solid projectile flies more stably, so that itsprecision can be increased. Another advantage is that during themanufacturing process, for example during the forming process, inparticular the solid forming process, lower forces are required toproduce the solid projectile.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, that can becombined with the previous aspects and example embodiments, a solidprojectile for ammunition in particular with a caliber of less than 13mm is provided. The solid projectile is made of iron and/or is leadfree.

The solid projectile comprises an at least sectionally cylindricaldriving band for guiding the solid projectile in a firearm barrel, inparticular for engaging in grooves of a land-groove profile of a firearmbarrel. The land-groove profile serves in particular to give the solidprojectile a spin as it slides within the firearm barrel, to stabilizethe trajectory of the projectile.

According to the further aspect of the present invention, a Vickershardness in the region of a driving band outer diameter is at most 150HV. For example, the production of a solid projectile according to theinvention is carried out in such a way that an iron blank of certaindimensioning and certain Vickers hardness is provided. The inventors ofthe present invention have found that even in the case of a startingmaterial of an iron blank with a Vickers hardness of 140 HV, themanufacturing can be carried out in such a way that the Vickers hardnessis only slightly increased in the region of the driving band outerdiameter, in particular up to a value of 150 HV at most. It has beenfound that machining, in particular movement and/or displacement, ofiron material causes a change in hardness of the solid projectile.However, the aim during the manufacturing process is to perform only asmuch forming work as necessary, but as little as possible, at least inthe area of the driving band. It has been found that with thehomogeneous hardness distribution, at least in the region of the drivingband and a projectile center, which is close to the projectile centeraxis in axial direction, allows to achieve external ballisticadvantages.

According to an example further development of the projectile accordingto the invention, a Vickers hardness in the region of a driving bandouter diameter is less than 10%, in particular less than 5% or less than3%, larger than a Vickers hardness in the region of a projectile centerat the same height with respect to a projectile longitudinal axis.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, that can becombined with the previous aspects and example embodiments, anintermediate for producing a solid projectile, particularly formedaccording to one of the previous embodiments or aspects, in particularlead free, is provided.

The intermediate consists of a pre-press body made of iron, inparticular soft iron, in particular Saarstahl C10C, with a substantiallycylindrical tail section and an adjoining concavely tapering frontsection. The front section can, for example, be produced by forming, inparticular cold forming, such as pressing. For example, the tail sectionis designed to be further processed into the projectile tail.Furthermore, the front section can be designed to be further processedinto the particularly ogive-like projectile nose. The inventors havefound that by means of the concave front section the deformation forcesfor further processing of the intermediate into a solid projectile canbe reduced. Thereby on the one hand the manufacturing costs can bereduced and on the other hand the hardness changes that occur in theprojectile as a result of forming, as described above, are reduced. Thepre-press body also makes it possible to produce more complex solidprojectile shapes in a simple manner.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, that can becombined with the previous aspects and example embodiments, a method forproducing an intermediate, formed according to one of the previousaspects, for producing a particularly lead free solid projectile, inparticular for producing a solid projectile formed according to one ofthe previous example embodiments or aspects of the present invention, isprovided.

First, a cylindrical, in particular lead free, iron blank is provided.The iron blank has certain outer dimensions and hardness, in particularVickers hardness.

The iron blank is then given a concavely tapering shape in a frontsection. For example, this can be done by forming, in particular coldforming, in particular pressing. During further processing into thesolid projectile, the concave front section can be further processedinto an ogive shape, in particular by forming, in particular by coldforming, in particular by pressing.

Adjacent to the front section, an at least sectionally cylindricaldriving band is formed for guiding the solid projectile in a firearmbarrel. The driving band can be produced by forming, in particular coldforming, in particular pressing.

If necessary, subsequently a projectile tail with a constant or at leastsectionally continuously tapering outer diameter is formed at the rearside of the driving band, wherein, if necessary, an at least sectionallyconcavely tapering projectile base is formed in the region of theprojectile tail. The projectile tail can be produced by forming, inparticular cold forming, in particular pressing.

According to an example further development of the method according tothe invention, the solid projectile is produced, in particular byforming, in such a way that the iron blank is shortened by less than20%, in particular less than 15%, Alternatively or additionally it canbe provided that a diameter of the iron blank increases at most 25%, inparticular at most 20%. Furthermore, alternatively or additionally itcan be provided that a Vickers hardness in the region of a driving bandouter diameter increases less than 15%, in particular less than 10%. Theproduction method according to the invention for producing anintermediate and/or for producing a solid projectile ensures that thenecessary material deformations on the iron blank can be reduced,resulting in a significantly more homogeneous hardness distribution inthe region of the intermediate and/or the solid projectile than waspreviously possible in the prior art.

Preferred embodiments are given in the subclaims.

In the following, further properties, features, and advantages of theinvention will become clear by means of description of preferredembodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanyingexemplary drawings, in which show:

FIG. 1 a side view of an example embodiment of a solid projectileaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 a side view of an example embodiment of an intermediate accordingto the invention;

FIG. 3 a side view of the solid projectile in FIG. 1 , wherein ahardness distribution is indicated;

FIG. 4 a side view of a further example embodiment of a solid projectileaccording to the invention;

FIG. 5 a sectional view along line V-V in FIG. 4 , wherein a firearmbarrel is added;

FIG. 6 a sectional view along line VI-VI in FIG. 4 , wherein a firearmbarrel is added;

FIG. 7 a side view of a blank for producing an intermediate according tothe invention and/or for producing a solid projectile according to theinvention;

FIG. 8 a side view of an example embodiment of an intermediate accordingto the invention; and

FIG. 9 a side view of a further example embodiment of a solid projectileaccording to the invention.

In the following description of example embodiments of the invention,solid projectiles according to the invention are generally given thereference numeral 1 and intermediates according to the invention aregenerally given the reference numeral 100. For the following descriptionof example embodiments based on the figures, intermediate 100 and solidprojectile 1 are made of iron material, in particular a C10C Saarstahlwith a carbon content of more than 0.05%. The decisive advantage of thematerial used is its improved environmental compatibility compared tothe projectile materials used so far, such as lead in particular.

FIG. 1 shows an example embodiment of the solid projectile 1 accordingto the invention in a side view. A flight direction F is schematicallyindicated by an arrow and points to the right in FIG. 1 . With referenceto the projectile flight direction F, the terms nose, nose-sided, frontor front-sided and tail, tail-sided or rear-sided are to be understood.Basically, solid projectiles 1 according to the invention can be dividedinto three main sections: A projectile nose 3; a driving band 5adjoining it; and a projectile tail 7 adjoining the driving band 5. Theprojectile nose has a substantially ogive-like shape and tapers in theflight direction F, forming an ogive 9, towards a planar end face 11pointing in the flight direction F. Unlike standard known solidprojectiles, in which the ogive 9 opens into a projectile tip, which isrealized, for example, by forming, the planar end face 11 is formed bycutting the ogive 9 to length. It has been found that the ogive areaflattened in this way and the resulting planar end face 11 have apositive effect on the external ballistics of the solid projectile 1 andthat significantly lower forces are required in the production of thenose-sided projectile ogive, which can be realized, for example, byforming.

The ogive 9 opens at the tail into the driving band 5. In the directionof the driving band 5, a curvature of the ogive 9 decreasescontinuously, so that immediately before a transition 13 into thedriving band 5, the projectile nose 3 at least approaches a cylindricalshape. The driving band 5 generally serves to guide the solid projectile1 within a firearm barrel 15 (FIGS. 5, 6 ) and/or to engage aland-groove profile A, B (FIGS. 5, 6 ) of the firearm barrel 15. Thedriving band 5 determines a maximum outer diameter D_(a,max) of thesolid projectile 1 in the solid projectiles 1 according to theinvention. This is realized, among other things, in that the transition13 from the driving band 5 into the projectile nose 3 is formed by anouter contour recess at which an outer diameter D_(a) of the solidprojectile 1 is reduced abruptly. The circumferential outer contourrecess is indicated schematically in FIG. 1 by the visible edge markedby means of the reference sign 15. By means of the outer contour recess15 it can be ensured that essentially only the driving band 5 engages inthe groove profile of the firearm barrel 15. This is illustrated furtherbelow with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 . By minimizing the engagementand/or sliding contact between the solid projectile 1 and the firearmbarrel 15 to essentially a preferably narrow driving band 5, thepress-through resistance of the solid projectile 1 within the firearmbarrel 15 could be reduced.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 , the driving band 5 is also radiallyoffset at the rear from the projectile tail 7 adjoining it at the rear.A transition 17 from the projectile tail 7 into the driving band 5 isformed by an outer contour projection, at which an outer diameter D_(a)of the solid projectile 1 increases continuously. This is illustrated bythe two visible edges 19, 21, which are axially spaced apart in thelongitudinal direction of the projectile and between which the outercontour of the solid projectile 1 widens continuously in radialdirection in the direction of the driving band 5.

The outer contour steps in the region of the transitions 13, 17 can havean angle of inclination with respect to a longitudinal axis of theprojectile oriented in the longitudinal extension of the solidprojectile 1 in the range from 10° to 90°, wherein according to FIG. 1the transition 17 is in the range from 15° to 45°, while at thetransition 13 a 90° outer contour projection is formed from theprojectile nose 3 into the driving band 5. Furthermore, a radial depthof the outer contour projection or outer contour recess to bedimensioned transversely to the longitudinal axis of the projectile isless than 0.5 mm, in particular about 0.2 mm. In addition to thetechnical effect of reducing the press-through resistance through thefirearm barrel 15, the rear-side outer contour projection from theprojectile tail 7 into the driving band 5 has the technical effect ofso-called breathing of the firearm barrel 15. This is achieved in thatwhen a firearm is fired, the gas pressure that forms or builds upgenerates an elastic widening of the firearm barrel 15, resulting in agentler sliding of the solid projectile 1 within the firearm barrel 15.This means that the press-through resistance is increasingly reduced. Ithas been found that the resulting gases press into the annular spacebounded between the outer contour projection in the region of thetransition 17 and the firearm barrel 15 and thus expand the barrelradially elastically, as a result of which there is less abrasionbetween the firearm barrel 15 and the solid projectile 1.

According to FIG. 1 , the projectile tail has a cylindrical tail section23 directly adjoining the driving band 5 or the transition 17. At therear, the cylindrical tail section 23 is adjoined by a projectile base27 which opens into a bottom 25 and tapers at least sectionallyconcavely in the direction of the bottom 25. Here, the radius ofcurvature of the concave section 27 of the projectile base is in therange of 0.1 times to 0.5 times the maximum projectile outer diameterD_(a,max). The at least sectionally concave projectile base 27 furtherextends in the longitudinal direction of the solid projectile 1 by 0.2times to 0.6 times the maximum projectile outer diameter D_(a,max). Inaddition, the bottom 25 of the projectile has an outer diameter D_(a)which is in the range of 0.6 times to 0.9 times the maximum projectileouter diameter D_(a,max).

Furthermore, according to the solid projectile 1 in FIG. 1 , it isprovided that an axial length of the driving band 5 dimensioned in thelongitudinal direction of the solid projectile 1 is in the range of 10to 100 times a land-groove dimension difference of the firearm barrel15. The land-groove dimension difference is to be understood as thedifference between the inner diameter Di in the region of the groovedimension A (FIG. 6 ) and the inner diameter Di in the region of theland dimension B (FIG. 6 ).

FIG. 2 shows a side view of an intermediate 100 according to theinvention for producing a solid projectile 1. The intermediate 100comprises a pre-press body 101 with a substantially cylindrical tailsection 103 and an adjoining, concavely tapering front section 105. Thefront section 105 serves to be further formed into the particularlyogive-like projectile nose 3. In general, the production of theintermediate 100 or the solid projectile 1 can be done by forming, inparticular cold forming, such as pressing, from one piece. It was foundthat by providing an intermediate 100 with a concavely tapering frontsection 105, the forces required for forming can be reduced. As aresult, the ballistics of the solid projectile 1 could be improved.Deformations on the material, in particular on the iron blank and/or onthe intermediate 100, result in local hardness changes which have anegative effect on the ballistics. This determined correlation isexplained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 .

FIG. 3 again shows the solid projectile 1 according to FIG. 1 , whereinhardness distribution according to Vickers is schematically indicated bydashed lines marking areas of essentially equal Vickers hardness. Theareas will be discussed in more detail below: The representationaccording to FIG. 3 is to be understood in that the percentage change ofthe material hardness according to Vickers was measured on the finishedsolid projectile 1 compared to an initial hardness according to Vickersof the provided iron blank 200 (FIG. 7 ), from which first anintermediate 100 according to the invention and then a solid projectile1 according to the invention was produced.

In the present example, an initial hardness of 140 HV 10/30 of the ironblank was selected, wherein a test load of 10 N was applied for aloading time of 30 s. The test load was determined based on the testload. The mass of the finished solid projectile 1 is approximately 7.3g. Based on the dashed areas in the side view of the solid projectile 1,increases in hardness with respect to the Vickers hardness areindicated, which can be divided into local areas of approximately thesame hardness. In FIG. 3 , areas of essentially the same hardness aremarked with the same reference number, which will be discussed in detailbelow.

The greatest percental hardness change, in particular hardness increase,was identified at the front and rear, indicated by the reference number29. Hardness increases of over 40% were measured in the areasimmediately adjacent to the projectile bottom 25 or the nose-sided endface 11, which are symmetrical with respect to the center axis M of theprojectile and taper convexly from the respective end face, projectilebottom 25 or end face 11. In areas 29, a Vickers hardness of at least200 HV 10/30 is present. Most of the solid projectile, indicated by thereference sign 35, experienced a hardness increase of about 10% to 20%,so that Vickers hardnesses in the range of 150 HV 10/30 to 170 HV 10/30could be measured. In an elongated, approximately elliptical area 33,which extends over about ⅔ to ¾ of the axial dimension of the solidprojectile 1 in the region of the projectile center axis M, the smallesthardness changes were introduced in the material. In the area 33, thehardness increase is less than 50%, so that Vickers hardnesses of lessthan 150 HV 10/30 can be measured. It is interesting for the solidprojectiles 1 according to the present invention that it could beachieved that in the region of the driving band 5 and in axial directionclearly beyond, in particular in the cylindrical tail section 23 as wellas in a part of the ogive 9, very small hardness increases of about 7%or resulting Vickers hardnesses in the range of about 150 HV 10/30 weregenerated, so that in the region of the groove-land dimension of thesolid projectile 1 as well as in the region near the projectile centeraxis M (area 33) substantially the same Vickers hardness is present.According to the invention, it was found that the homogeneous hardnessdistribution formed in this way has a positive effect on the ballisticsand precision of the solid projectile 1.

FIG. 4 shows a further example embodiment of a solid projectile 1according to the invention. In order to avoid repetition, in thefollowing description essentially the differences compared to thepreceding embodiments will be explained. For example, the solidprojectile 1 according to FIGS. 1 and 3 represents a so-called 9 mmprojectile, whereas FIG. 4 shows a 13 mm projectile. Another essentialdifference of the solid projectile 1 according to FIG. 4 is that thetransitions 13, 17 are realized differently: In contrast to FIGS. 1, 3 ,in the solid projectile 1 according to FIG. 4 the nose-sided transition13 is formed by an outer contour projection widening radially outwardfrom the projectile nose 3 into the driving band 5, at which the outerdiameter D_(a) of the solid projectile 1 increases continuously beforethe outer contour is defined by the narrow-banded, cylindrical drivingband 5 that engages in the groove dimension A of the firearm barrel 15.Again, at the rear of the driving band 5, the transition 17 from thedriving band 5 into the projectile tail 7 is formed by an abrupt outercontour recess in which the outer diameter D_(a) abruptly reduces. Incontrast to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1, 3 , the projectile tail7 adjoining the driving band 5 on the rear side does not comprise aconcave projectile base 27, but a chamfered projectile bottom 25, whichopens into the elongated cylindrical section 23 of the projectile tail 7by means of a phase 37 oriented at an angle with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the projectile.

With reference to FIGS. 5, 6 , which are cross-sectional viewscorresponding to lines V-V and VI-VI, respectively, and in which thefirearm barrel 15 is added schematically, the different outer diametersD_(a) of the solid projectile 1 are apparent. The cross-sectional viewV-V in FIG. 5 is cut along the driving band 5, while the cross-sectionalview VI-VI in FIG. 6 is cut at the rear in the region of the cylindricaltail section 23. Schematically and notably enlarged, the groove-landdimension profiles are indicated in FIGS. 5, 6 , wherein the landdimension profile is indicated by means of the reference sign B and thegroove dimension profile is indicated by means of the reference sign A.Grooves 39 arranged on the inner circumference 41 of the firearm barrel15, which are expressed in the form of notches, are indicated by meansof the reference sign 39. From a combination of FIGS. 5 and 6 it can beseen that the outer diameter D_(a) in the region of the driving band 5(FIG. 5 ) is dimensioned larger than the outer diameter D_(a) in theregion of the cylindrical tail section 23 (FIG. 6 ). For the sake ofclarity, the dimensions of the grooves 39 in radial direction are largerthan is actually the case. Furthermore, the radial distances between thesolid projectile 1 and the firearm barrel inner circumferential surface41 are also shown enlarged. It can be seen from FIG. 5 that thenarrow-banded cylindrical driving band 5 is configured to substantiallymap the groove dimension A of the firearm inner barrel and thus toengage the grooves 39 of the firearm barrel 15. In contrast, thecylindrical tail section 23 substantially maps the land dimensionprofile B of the firearm barrel 15 and therefore engages essentiallyexclusively in the fields 43 each arranged between two adjacent grooves39.

With reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 , on the one hand the manufacturingmethod according to the invention is explained and the homogeneoushardness distribution according to the invention on the manufacturedsolid projectile 1 is discussed once again. In FIG. 7 , a cylindricaliron blank 200 is provided which has a predetermined dimensioning, forexample an axial length of just under 30 millimeters, in particular of28.55 millimeters, and a diameter of less than 5 millimeters, inparticular of about 4.7 millimeters. First, an intermediate 100according to the invention (FIG. 8 ) is first formed from the iron blank200, in particular by forming, preferably cold forming. For thispurpose, a concavely tapering front section 105 is formed on the frontside, preferably by forming, in particular cold forming.

The pre-press body 101 produced in this way is then further processedinto a solid projectile 1 according to the invention, which is shown inFIG. 9 . The iron blank 200 was further machined in such a way that theintermediate 100 according to FIG. 8 underwent a diameter increase ofabout 15% and a length reduction of about 5%, so that the intermediate100 has, for example, a length of 27.09 millimeters and a diameter of5.4 millimeters. Starting from the intermediate 100, the finished solidprojectile 1 according to FIG. 9 has been shortened again by about 9%,wherein the diameter has again increased by about 5%, so that the solidprojectile has, for example, a length of 24.7 millimeters and a maximumouter diameter D_(a,max) of 5.66 millimeters. For example, the 5.56 mmsolid projectile 1 has a mass of 3.88 g. In relation to the originallyprovided iron blank made of C10C material, this means an overalldiameter increase of about 20% and an overall length reduction of about13.5%.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, figures, and claimsmay be significant, both individually and in any combination, for therealization of the invention in the various embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

-   1 solid projectile-   3 projectile nose-   5 driving band-   7 projectile tail-   9 ogive-   11 end face-   13, 17 transition-   15 firearm barrel-   19, 21 visible edge-   23 tail section-   25 bottom-   27 projectile base-   29, 31, 33, 35 area of substantially equal hardness-   37 phase-   39 groove-   41 inner circumference-   43 field-   100 intermediate-   101 pre-press body-   103 tail section-   105 front section-   200 iron blank-   M center axis-   F flight direction-   A groove profile-   B land profile

1. Solid projectile (1) for ammunition in particular with a caliber ofless than 13 mm, wherein the solid projectile (1) is made of iron, inparticular soft iron, with a carbon content of more than 0.05%.
 2. Solidprojectile (1) according to claim 1, wherein the carbon content is inthe range of 0.06% to 1.14%, in particular in the range of 0.08% to0.12%.
 3. Solid projectile (1) according to claim 1, wherein the solidprojectile (1) is made of a material that, in addition to iron,comprises at least one further transition metal, for example selectedfrom the group comprising manganese and copper, in particular with amass portion of 0.01% to 1.2% or of 0.3% to 1%.
 4. Solid projectile (1)according to claim 1, wherein the iron of the solid projectile (1)comprises at least one additive selected from the carbon group, thenitrogen group and/or the oxygen group, wherein in particular the atleast one additive is a metalloid, in particular silicon, and/or has aweight percentage of at least 0.01% to at most 0.48%.
 5. Solidprojectile (1) according to claim 1, wherein the iron has a manganesecontent of 0.01% to 0.8%, in particular of 0.03% to 0.6%.
 6. Solidprojectile (1) according to claim 1, wherein the iron has a siliconcontent of less than 0.5%, in particular less than 0.4% or less than0.3%.
 7. Solid projectile (1) according to claim 1, wherein the iron hasa phosphorus content in the range from 0.01% to 0.04%, in particular inthe range from 0.02% to 0.03%.
 8. Solid projectile (1) according toclaim 1, wherein the iron has a sulfur content in the range from 0.01%to 0.04%, in particular in the range from 0.02% to 0.03%.
 9. Solidprojectile (1) according to claim 1, wherein the iron has a coppercontent of less than 0.4%, in particular less than 0.3% or less than0.25%.
 10. Solid projectile (1), according to claim 1, for ammunition inparticular with a caliber of less than 13 mm, made of iron, comprisingan particularly ogive-like projectile nose (3), an at least sectionallycylindrical driving band (5) adjoining thereto for guiding the solidprojectile (1) in a firearm barrel (15), in particular for engaging ingrooves of a land-groove profile of a firearm barrel (15), and aprojectile tail (7) adjoining to the driving band (5), the projectiletail (7) comprising a bottom and a projectile base that opens into thebottom and tapers at least sectionally concavely in the direction of thebottom.
 11. Solid projectile (1) according to claim 10, wherein a radiusof curvature defining an outer contour of the projectile base is in therange of 0.1 times to 0.5 times a maximum projectile outer diameter. 12.Solid projectile (1) according to claim 10, wherein the at leastsectionally concave projectile base extends in longitudinal direction ofthe solid projectile (1) by 0.2 times to 0.6 times a maximum projectileouter diameter.
 13. Solid projectile (1) according to claim 10, whereinthe bottom comprises an outer diameter in the range of 0.6 times to 0.9times a maximum projectile outer diameter.
 14. Solid projectile (1),according to claim 1, for ammunition in particular with a caliber ofless than 13 mm, made of iron, comprising an particularly ogive-likeprojectile nose (3), an at least sectionally cylindrical driving band(5) adjoining thereto for guiding the solid projectile (1) in a firearmbarrel (15), in particular for engaging in grooves of a land-grooveprofile of a firearm barrel (15), and a projectile tail (7) adjoining tothe driving band (5), wherein a transition from the projectile tail (7)into the driving band (5) is formed by an outer contour projection, atwhich an outer diameter of the solid projectile (1) increasescontinuously or abruptly.
 15. Solid projectile (1) according to claim14, wherein the outer contour projection has an inclination angle withrespect to a projectile longitudinal axis oriented in longitudinaldirection of the solid projectile (1) in the range from 100 to 90°. 16.Solid projectile (1), according to claim 1, for ammunition in particularwith a caliber of less than 13 mm, made of iron, comprising anparticularly ogive-like projectile nose (3), an at least sectionallycylindrical driving band (5) adjoining thereto for guiding the solidprojectile (1) in a firearm barrel (15), in particular for engaging ingrooves of a land-groove profile of a firearm barrel (15), and aprojectile tail (7) adjoining to the driving band (5), wherein atransition from the driving band (5) into the projectile nose (3) isformed by an outer contour recess, at which an outer diameter of thesolid projectile (1) decreases continuously or abruptly.
 17. Solidprojectile (1) according to claim 16, wherein the outer contour recesshas an inclination angle with respect to a projectile longitudinal axisoriented in longitudinal direction of the solid projectile (1) in therange from 10° to 90°.
 18. Solid projectile (1) according to claim 14,wherein the outer contour projection and/or the outer contour recess hasa radial depth, dimensioned transversely to the projectile longitudinalaxis, of less than 0.5 mm, in particular less than 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm or 0.2mm.
 19. Solid projectile (1), according to claim 1, for ammunition inparticular with a caliber of less than 13 mm, made of iron, comprising aparticularly ogive-like projectile nose (3), an at least sectionallycylindrical driving band (5) adjoining thereto for guiding the solidprojectile (1) in a firearm barrel (15), in particular for engaging ingrooves of a land-groove profile of a firearm barrel (15), having anaxial length, dimensioned in longitudinal direction of the solidprojectile (1), in the range of 10 times to 100 times a land-grooveprofile difference of a firearm barrel (15).
 20. Solid projectile (1),according to claim 1, for ammunition in particular with a caliber ofless than 13 mm, made of iron, comprising a particularly ogive-likeprojectile nose (3), having a substantially planar end face, inparticular produced by cutting to length, oriented in the direction ofthe projectile longitudinal axis.
 21. Solid projectile (1), according toclaim 1, for ammunition in particular with a caliber of less than 13 mm,made of iron, comprising an at least sectionally cylindrical drivingband (5) for guiding the solid projectile (1) in a firearm barrel (15),in particular for engaging in grooves of a land-groove profile of afirearm barrel (15), wherein a Vickers hardness in the region of adriving band outer diameter is at most 150 HV.
 22. Solid projectile (1)according to claim 21, wherein a Vickers hardness in the region of adriving band outer diameter is less than 10%, in particular less than 5%or less than 3%, larger than a Vickers hardness in the region of aprojectile center at the same height with respect to a projectilelongitudinal axis.
 23. Intermediate (100) for producing a solidprojectile (1) according to claim 1, consisting of a pre-press body madeof iron with a substantially cylindrical tail section (103) and anadjoining concavely tapering front section (105), in particular producedby forming, in particular cold forming, such as pressing.
 24. Method forproducing an intermediate (100) according to claim 1 for producing asolid projectile (1), in particular for producing a solid projectile (1)according to claim 1, in which a cylindrical iron blank (200) isprovided and the iron blank (200) is in a front section (105) shaped, inparticular by forming, in particular cold forming, in particularpressing, into a concavely tapering shape, wherein in particular theconcave front section (105) is shaped by forming, in particular coldforming, in particular pressing, into an ogive shape, and adjoining tothe front section (105) an at least sectionally cylindrical driving band(5) for guiding the solid projectile (1) in a firearm barrel (15) isshaped, in particular by forming, in particular cold forming, inparticular pressing, and possibly an projectile tail (7) adjoining tothe driving band (5) with a constant or at least sectionallycontinuously tapering outer diameter is shaped, in particular byforming, in particular cold forming, in particular pressing.
 25. Methodaccording to claim 24, wherein the solid projectile (1) is produced, inparticular by forming, in such a way that the iron blank (200) isshortened by less than 20%, in particular less than 15%, and/or adiameter of the iron blank increases at most 25%, in particular at most20%, and/or a Vickers hardness in the region of a driving band outerdiameter increases less than 15%, in particular less than 10%.